I took to googling things such as 'is it rape if she's drunk?' in order to make myself feel less alone, less like a fraud. I thought I was a fraud. Surely I was asking for it? I mean, I'd let him kiss me. I'd let him take me down to the car park.

Bogotá D.C, 29th March 2015 First Secretary of Indian Embassy in Colombia Dear Sir, My name is __________ __________. I am contacting to you to let you know a very difficult situation that I lived in your country. The last

It is March 2nd 2017 and today the news is filled with the story of an intoxicated and unconscious woman who was raped by a cab driver in Halifax, Canada. The rape was witnessed by a police officer. Yet the Judge still acquitted the rapist. I am angry every time I hear of cases where rapists get away and victim blaming is rampant. This one, however, hit home. The situation is so much like mine.

I shouldn't have let a guy buy me drinks. I shouldn't have agreed to a hug. I shouldn't have let that happen. Why did I laugh? Why didn't I leave. Why didn't I tell anyone? Why can't I sleep? Why me? I wasn't alone and I stayed with my friends. Everyone just acted like this was okay.

Every time I was running/or pushing him away, we were facing his anger. It was everyday story. I remember sitting in the corner of my cousin's room, scared, closed eyes, covering my ears while he was screaming my name outside. To calm him down, my grandparents and his wife makes me sit next to him in living room. Where he was touching my thighs, trying to kiss me, rotating my face to look at him. I can't forget his scary face and laugh. No one was stopping him, he was coming to my room every other night.

I am sitting here, and a perpetrator is being inaugurated into the presidency, in the United States. I can not function today. I needed to tell my story somewhere because starting last night I kept waking up with these numbers repeating over and over again, my own thoughts and my own story jolting me throughout the night. And today, a day where I can not move. I am frozen.

If this becomes long, sorry! So April/May 2016, thanks to a newspaper article I get back in touch with an old friend. He asks me if I’m happy in the relationship I am currently in with my partner, I admit

For a whole year thereafter, I beat myself up over my stupidity for allowing our relationship to escalate that night in New York. The depression and anxiety from that experience followed me around like a dark shadow. Eventually, I began to realize that I had done nothing wrong. I didn't mislead him; he didn't care about what I was saying or doing. I didn't allow it; I felt threatened having a man nearly twice my body weight on top of me. Most importantly, I never consented.

But, Trump's "just kiss. Don't wait" guy talk shit or whatever we want to call it is a REAL problem and a REAL attitude men have. I can draw a direct parallel with my first experience. All through being touched inappropriately in ways I did NOT want, did NOT consent to, and was physically struggling to get away from, I was told over and over "I told you I fancied you, just give me one kiss, just one kiss, come on."

I have been manipulated, lied too and I was lonely. I was expressing my feelings all over social media, hoping they would realise what they have done. Instead he made himself the victum in the situation…and this was only the

I need you to know that everyday is an intense battle to get out of bed, to act normal, to try and make it through the day without a breakdown. I need you to know that I will forever have internal scars and self harm scars. I need you to know that this has changed my entire life and that I will never be the same person again.

When people talk about rape, they often think rape steals your innocence. For me, rape and sexual abuse atole everything! It stole my entire childhood. It stole my friends and my family. It stole my dreams. It ultimately made me drop out of school. Ive destroyed my body and have scars all over both thighs and from my wrist to my forearm on one arm.

no longer have any contact with him and I grew to become a much stronger person. I was able to forgive him and myself and move forward. Anyone who is reading this, there is a happy ending for us. Don't allow yourself and others to make you feel ashamed like it's your fault. Don't give up. We are not victims but victors.

For a long time this experience has bothered me. I'm ashamed of myself. I saw myself as the most culpable–I got wasted in public and in such a condition left my sober friend, I willingly got in his car when I should have known better, I decided of my own free will that I would rather have sex with him than stay indefinitely at his house, I tried to act like I wanted to be with him during the act, I tried to perform. It still makes me feel incredibly dirty.

It’s been a rough year to say the least. I’ve been experiencing some major life changes, and although I’ve rekindled and began many great, fulfilling friendships and prayed as hard as I could to the Heavenly Father to alleviate this

Please follow the link to view Ana’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyo9eyXTir8 A Message from Ana: If you are being abused or have been abused, please seek help. Never give up hope. I love you and you matter. RAINN.ORG is a good source

My name is Joanne. For five years I have been victim of domestic violence. He tried many times to choke me. He said hurtful things like after him noone would ever want to be with me. But for five years

I remember sitting in the shower, and not being able to cry, I was so in shock over what had happened. It didn’t even occur to me right away what that was. I just wanted to keep showering. I wanted the water to be hot enough that it would wash my skin off, so I could be someone else. I envisioned my skin washing off like paint and running down the drain, I wanted to be someone else. Someone who could never ever be in that position. I wanted to be someone who could remember what happened.

My story. 14 months later.
I think every rape victim at some point tells themselves "maybe I asked for this", "maybe I did deserve this", "I could've fought harder", "did I lead him on?"
Well, I do at least…

I was blamed by people who told me that if you get naked with a guy you should expect them to have sex you. I was also told that as I liked him and I dated him although he forced himself on me it didn't count as rape.

I had to go work that morning, and I left feeling numb. I couldn’t even think. How was I supposed to think? That whole day was filled with shock and sickness. The day after that I realized what happened, I was drugged and raped by someone I thought I could trust.

The commonalities I have with the other brave women who have come forward are what made me realize how wrong it all was. Reading the stories was like having my mind read. I sunk deeper with feelings of guilt and disgust. I was part of an intricate web woven by a man who was manipulative and powerful. I fell for every carefully constructed, tried and true line he fed me. He played his game with me as he played it with so many women before me. I was another woman to add to his collection.

When I did crawl into bed he started to stir, I mentioned that I was home and safe. As soon as I had made a comfortable little cocoon for myself he was pinning me to the bed with his knees forcing himself in my mouth.

The When You're Ready Project is a community for survivors of sexual violence to share their stories and have their voices heard, finding strength in one another. When you're ready to share your story, we will be here.